Bone tumor ablation | Interventional Spine

A woman beams with joy after finding relief from pain through bone tumor ablation treatment

Bone tumor ablation
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A powerful option for pain caused by bone tumors

Supported by a growing body of evidence, radiofrequency bone tumor ablation (BTA) can help to relieve pain, protecting your quality of life.1

Benefits of the treatment

  • Pain improvement with sustained long-term relief up to 12 months1
  • Greater range of motion2
  • Decreased need for pain medications2
  • Minimally invasive3
  • Minimal risk3
  • Short recovery time - most people can go back to their usual activities within a few days4

Potential risks

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BTA may be an option for you if you have already received (or are currently receiving) treatment like chemotherapy or radiation, but are still experiencing pain. It also may be an option if you have exceeded your maximum radiation dose and still need relief.

How it works

Bone with a tumor inside, showing the condition before bone tumor ablation treatment begins

Before the procedure

Your doctor will confirm your diagnosis. If you are a good candidate for BTA, your doctor will ask you for the following information:

  • Current medications, including herbal supplements and their dosages 
  • Known drug, iodine or latex allergies 
  • Current health conditions
Bone being treated with heat through probes, showing how the tumor is targeted and treated

During the procedure

BTA may be performed under general anesthesia or while you are awake but sedated. Your back is numbed with a local anesthetic. Using x-ray imaging, your doctor inserts access cannulas and ablation probes and guides them to the treatment area. A high-frequency electrical current then passes through the probe, heating up and “ablating” the painful tumor. 

If the ablation was performed in a weight - bearing bone, your doctor may also stabilize the area with bone cement after the ablation.

Inside the bone after bone tumor ablation treatment to help stabilize and relieve pain

After the procedure

Your blood pressure and pulse will be monitored before you go home. You may feel sore or have pain in the treated area, but most people are able to return to work and normal activities within a few days.5 Timing can vary from person to person, but recent research shows pain improvement can occur in as a quickly as 3 days.1

Tired of living in pain?
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Thank you!

Resources

Bone tumor ablation brochure
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Potential risks of the procedure

Serious side effects have been known to occur with the use of bone cement in surgical procedures of the spine. These include heart attack, cardiac arrest (heart stops beating), stroke, embolism (blood clot or bone cement that moves to the heart or lungs) or death. Side effects may occur beyond a year or more after the procedure.6,7

Side effects related to use of an inflatable balloon system with bone cement include wound infection, bleeding, hematoma (collection of blood outside a blood vessel), pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and anaphylaxis (severe, life-threatening allergic reaction) due to rupture of the balloon.

Please consult with your doctor for the full list of possible side effects related to the combined use of bone cement with the iVAS and iVAS Elite inflatable vertebral augmentation systems and the OmniCurve curved balloon system.8-10